Shared electric scooters from companies like Bird, Lime, and Spin have revolutionized urban mobility, offering a convenient, eco-friendly way to navigate city streets. However, beneath the sleek design and app-based convenience lies a growing concern: hidden defects that can turn a quick ride into a serious accident.
These defects, often hidden and not obvious during a quick visual check, can involve critical components like brakes, acceleration controls, structural integrity, batteries, or folding mechanisms. When such flaws lead to an accident, injured riders may have grounds for a product liability claim, allowing them to pursue compensation for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other damages.
At Biren Law Group, we’re committed to helping riders who’ve been injured by these unseen dangers. If you’ve been hurt on a shared e-scooter due to a hidden defect, we’re here to guide you through your rights and fight for the full compensation you deserve.
Common Defects in Shared E-Scooters
Shared e-scooters endure intense daily use; frequent rentals, rough urban riding, constant charging cycles, and exposure to weather, which can accelerate wear and reveal underlying flaws. Many defects originate from design choices unsuitable for high-volume shared use, manufacturing inconsistencies, or insufficient maintenance protocols.
These issues are often “hidden,” meaning they may not be visible during a quick pre-ride inspection and can fail suddenly, turning a routine trip into a dangerous crash.
Over the years, numerous reports, recalls, and lawsuits have highlighted recurring problems. Federal agencies like the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) have documented thousands of incidents, and major recalls have affected hundreds of thousands of units.
Below is an extensive list of some of the most commonly reported hidden defects:
- Brake Failures: Sudden loss of braking power or brakes that fail to engage properly, leading to inability to stop or uncontrolled speed. In some cases, software glitches have caused brakes to activate abruptly without rider input, hurling users forward over the handlebars.
- Throttle Malfunctions: Erratic or stuck throttles causing unexpected acceleration surges, delayed response, or complete loss of power. Riders have reported throttles that “stick” open, propelling the scooter uncontrollably.
- Structural Breaks and Frame Failures: The deck (baseboard), down tube, or stem snapping under stress, sometimes causing the scooter to literally break in half mid-ride. This has been linked to material fatigue from repeated heavy use and impacts like jumping curbs.
- Battery Problems: Lithium-ion batteries overheating, swelling, smoldering, or catching fire; sometimes spontaneously, even while charging or parked. Faulty cells, improper wiring, or damage from wear can trigger thermal runaway, posing burn and explosion risks.
- Folding Mechanism Failures: Handlebars, stems, or the entire folding joint collapse unexpectedly during use. This defect has prompted massive recalls; for example, in 2025, Segway Ninebot recalled approximately 220,000 Max G30P and G30LP models after 68 reports of failures, resulting in 20 injuries, including broken bones, lacerations, and bruises.
- Sudden or Excessive Braking: Software or sensor malfunctions causing the scooter to brake hard without warning, often due to firmware issues or faulty regenerative braking systems. This has led to riders being ejected forward, suffering head trauma or fractures.
- Wheel and Tire Issues: Loose, wobbling, or detaching wheels; worn or punctured tires leading to loss of traction; or defective bearings causing instability at speed.
- Handlebar and Steering Defects: Loose, cracking, or detaching handlebars; steering columns that wobble or fail, making the scooter hard to control.
- Electrical and Wiring Problems: Faulty controllers leading to intermittent power loss, erratic behavior, or complete shutdowns; exposed or damaged wiring short-circuiting in wet conditions.
- Motor Failures: Overheating motors that cut out suddenly, unusual grinding noises indicating internal damage, or reduced power from worn components.
These defects have triggered significant actions. Despite recalls and fleet replacements, many older or inadequately maintained scooters remain in service, and new models can still develop hidden issues over time. Emergency room data shows mechanical failures contribute to a notable portion of e-scooter injuries, often resulting in fractures, head trauma, spinal damage, burns, or worse.
Riders rarely anticipate these failures because shared scooters appear functional via app checks, yet internal wear or design flaws can strike without warning. This underscores why product liability laws exist to protect users when hidden defects cause harm.
At Biren Law Group, we’re here to help if you’ve been injured in an e-scooter accident caused by a hidden defect. We’ll carefully evaluate what went wrong, explain your rights, and guide you through the process of holding the responsible parties accountable.
Real Risks: Injuries from Hidden Defects
E-scooter accidents frequently result in severe injuries because riders lack protective gear and travel on uneven urban surfaces.
Common outcomes include:
- Fractures and broken bones
- Head and traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord damage
- Lacerations, bruises, and road rash
- Burns from battery fires
How Product Liability Applies to E-Scooter Injuries
Shared e-scooters are designed to be safe and reliable for everyday use. When a hidden defect causes an injury, California law provides strong protections for riders through a principle known as strict product liability. This means that manufacturers, distributors, and rental companies can be held financially responsible for injuries caused by a defective product, regardless of whether they were negligent.
In simpler terms:
- You do not need to prove that the company was careless, cut corners, or ignored safety rules.
- You only need to show two key things: (1) the e-scooter had a defect, and (2) that defect directly caused your injury.
This rule exists to protect consumers when dangerous products reach the market. Companies that design, build, distribute, or rent out e-scooters have a responsibility to ensure they are safe for normal use. When defects cause harm, the law shifts the burden to those companies rather than leaving injured riders to bear the full cost.
Strict liability applies to three main categories of defects:
- Design Defects: The scooter’s blueprint is inherently unsafe (e.g., insufficient structural support for shared use).
- Manufacturing Defects: A flaw introduced during assembly (e.g., improper wiring leading to battery issues).
- Warning Defects: Failure to adequately inform users of known risks.
Rental companies can also face liability for poor maintenance or deploying known faulty units. While user agreements often include waivers, these don’t always shield companies from valid claims, especially involving serious defects.
Protecting Your Rights and Seeking Compensation
Hidden defects in shared e-scooters represent a serious safety issue that manufacturers and operators must address. Riders shouldn’t bear the full burden when a product fails dangerously.
At Biren Law Group, our product liability attorneys have decades of experience holding corporations accountable for defective products. We’ve recovered substantial compensation for injured clients, helping them rebuild after devastating accidents.
If you or a loved one was injured due to a defective shared e-scooter, contact us for a free, confidential consultation. We’ll review your case, explain your options, and fight for the justice and recovery you deserve.
Call Biren Law Group today at (888) 401-7141 to schedule your consultation.